by generalsjoes | Jun 22, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, Dollar Store, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Toys
With the almost infamous Dollar Store G.I. Joe figures only being spotted sporadically throughout the United States at various Dollar General stores, there are a lot of questions about the mysterious repaints that Gyre Viper showed us quite a while ago. Are these variants of current product? A second wave? A Family Dollar exclusive?
Most of these questions we do not know the answers to (but will hopefully find out at JoeCon next week!) but Gyre-Viper has now shared with GeneralsJoes a carded image of the upcoming Storm Shadow repaint. Obviously taking a page from the T’Ginzu book, this great looking version of Storm Shadow is shown here in packaged form for the first time, revealing that these are being designed and packaged just like the first wave, with no real alterations.
For potential confidentiality reasons, Gyre-Viper will not be sharing the date stamp, or assortment number, considering these are as of yet unreleased items and things could have changed after he got his hands on this sample. He does mention that the code names are exactly the same, and the back of the card is exactly the same (showing the original paint schemes, not the repaint colors) which seems to indicate that these are indeed variants or running changes, and are not a full fledged second wave of product.
Quite an interesting look at a series of figures that there seems to be more questions than answers about. I really look forward to talking to Hasbro next week to see if we can get more details.
Speaking of Gyre-Viper and the Convention next week, if you’re going to be in New Orleans make sure you check out the Joe Declassified booth! If you love unreleased product, pre-production product and just finding out some great hidden details about the entire history of G.I. Joe you won’t find a better place to do that than at the DeClassified booth. With some awesome figures on display and some genuine fans of the hobby manning the booth it will be a fantastic opportunity to see some cool toys and talk to some cool people.
All of the information about the DeClass booth can be found right here on JoeDeClassified.com.
Make sure you check it out! Hopefully I’ll see you in New Orleans.
by generalsjoes | Jun 15, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Retaliation Toys, G.I. Joe Toys
EDIT – Some of my part breakdowns were horrifically inaccurate. They have been adjusted to reflect more accurate source material! I apologize.
Invariably when plans change and retail offerings don’t pan out as expected, some items generally hit the production chain and end up in the after market stream in Asia. It happened a few years ago with the first run of Pursuit of Cobra figures, and it is happening now with G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Occasionally, these after market samples will be the first time we get a glimpse at some of these figures, as is the case here with viperkingdom. While folks who went to Toy Fair got a brief and fuzzy glimpse of the second wave of G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3-Packs, this is the first real up close and quality series of images, and I gotta say, these look to be right up there with the impressive first run. More new characters, some great parts choices and some interesting character tweaks. Check out the mirrored images below, and I’ll do some parts breakdowns as well.
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G.I. Joe: Retaliation “Tactical Ninja Team”
- Sgt. Airborne (Previously cancelled Data Viper body, cancelled 30th anniversary Law alternate head, Renegades Ripcord helmet and Para-Viper webgear)
- Agent Mouse (looks like a new head and vest, the cancelled 30th Anniversary Lifeline alternate helmet with G.I. Joe Trooper body with some different arms)
- Night Ops Snake Eyes (PoC Snake Eyes body, cancelled Jungle Strike Storm Shadow webgear)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation “Cobra Invasion”
- Firefly (New head, torso, and webgear with 30th Anniversary Lifeline arms and legs)
- Cobra Para Trooper (Shock-Trooper in red with Retaliation Cobra Trooper parachute pack)
- Storm Shadow (mostly a Rise of Cobra Storm Shadow) repaint
I know many folks are likely going to complain about more repaints and rehashes, but holy crap I think these two sets look pretty amazing. Airborne is fantastic and it will be really awesome to get that Data-Viper figure in hand finally. I love the G.I. Joe Trooper, and since Mouse pretty much IS a G.I. Joe Trooper it makes sense for this figure to be built off that. Not really sure about that bright vest, but… Snake Eyes has the perfect base figure, and I am loving the fact that they are finally using that cancelled PoC Storm Shadow webgear! I have to admit, though, the colors of the webgear and the base figure clash big time. The straps are just a bit too bright for the sheer black underneath.
Firefly looks astoundingly cool. A great modern update to the original, with a great use of PoC/30th Anniversary parts. The Para Trooper is probably my least favorite. I really like the Shock Trooper, but that torso looks really plain even with the parachute pack on top. Too much blank area. Storm Shadow is okay, and looks like a more movie-accurate version compared to the Wave 1, but overall, I much prefer the futuristic and sleek look of the first version in Retaliation.
All in all some very cool pieces, especially for being more or less kit bashed together. If these end up being $20 for three figures like Wave 1 is, that is a freaking bargain, especially because these look to have more new characters and new imaginings than Wave 1 did. Good stuff.
Thanks much to Kenny2274 on Twitter for the heads up!
by generalsjoes | Jun 8, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Other Toys, Transformers
Hasbro PR has made available the press images for upcoming San Diego ComicCon Exclusive “Shockwave” HISS Tank w/ Destro and Constructicon B.A.T. as well as Kim “Jinx” Arashikage in both her regular red uniform and in the variant white uniform. Along with the press images, we get our first official looks at the box art for Shockwave and the card art for both Jinx figures.
Of note, according to GeneralsJoes Twitter friend Twitziller, the Jinx card art may represent the first time a 25th homage figure was released with “digital” explosion background. Someone feel free to correct us if we’re wrong, but I can’t seem to remember another figure using that.
Check out the official images below, and if you want to see what I thought of the upcoming SDCC Jinx figures check out the main release review right here and the white uniform variant right here.
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by generalsjoes | Jun 2, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, Dollar Store, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe 2, G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary, G.I. Joe Collectors Club, G.I. Joe Retaliation Toys, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: The Movie, Podcasts, What's on Joe Mind
Has a fandom ever been thrown into such turmoil in such a short period of time before? Two weeks ago, new G.I. Joe toys were on the verge if being released, a movie was coming out in about a month, JoeCon was coming and things were GREAT.
Now, two weeks later, the film is pushed back to 2013, most of the toys have been delayed, and JoeCon’s quick sell out has created a riff in the fandom. What’s on Joe Mind to the rescue! We spend some time with voicemail messages in this episode, letting Joe fans vent their frustrations, as we take some time to vent our own.
Check out episode 57 on our Podbean Page, or via one of the embedded players below. As always, Show Notes are after the jump.
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by generalsjoes | Jun 1, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Retaliation Toys, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: Renegades, Pursuit of COBRA
Originally found by an eagle eyed member of JoeDios.com, a website for concept art company Massive Black has been unveiled, and along with it, a bunch of great looking concept pieces for potential use in the G.I. Joe line.
Actually if you look, a lot of these ideas were borrowed for G.I. Joe throughout the Pursuit of Cobra, G.I. Joe: Renegades, and even the Ghost Hawk II has some strong elements from the VTOL in this artwork. Some of this stuff looks fantastic.
For obvious safety and cost reasons, Hasbro cannot make toys with this many hard edges and details, but for sure the inspiration was there for the HISS, the Black Dragon, and the Ghost Hawk II. The stuff that wasn’t used like the APC and the Tank wasn’t used for pretty obvious reasons, in my mind, as they are very evocative of similar vehicles from Aliens and HALO. While G.I. Joe has clearly pulled some inspiration from those properties in the past, those two examples strike me as being extremely blatant.
To me the biggest loss is the incredible concept for The Baroness, a much more combat ready soldier looking version of that character. Amazing looking figure there. Pretty neat to see some of the steps taken towards our retail offerings. Check out the gallery below, and hit up the site itself, too.
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by generalsjoes | May 30, 2012 | 30th Anniversary, 30th Anniversary Reviews, Dollar Store, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe Reviews, G.I. Joe Toys, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
I started these reviews with the bad guys yesterday, and today I finish off my reviews of the already infamous Dollar Store Joes with a look at the G.I. Joe side of the house. Like the Cobra figures, these guys use a ton of existing parts, not a huge array of paint apps, but a whole ton of creativity.
Check out the reviews on my 30th Anniversary Review Page, or just click the links below.
